Metavari - Metropolis Re-Score 2x LP

$31.99

Fort Wayne's own Nate Utesch (Metavari) worked for 2 years to complete this amazing re-score of the iconic 1927 masterpiece Metropolis. A thrilling ride front to back, Metropolis may be Metavari's finest hour.
These are the LAST copies available in the US! VERY limited!

When I think of some of the most influential science fiction films, a few immediately pop into my head. Star Wars, Blade Runner, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Dark City, and 2001: A Space Odyssey(these are my picks…so yeah there’s plenty of other great sci fi pics out there. My pics, not yours) were all strong in their ideas, their visuals, and in their scores. They pushed big stories and concepts to new levels for sure, but the Godfather of science fiction films is Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. It was a truly awe-inspiring piece of cinema, and made in the age of silent film its visuals were overwhelming to the film-going public in 1927. When I watched it for the first time the one thing that stood out to me was the score that accompanied it. I always imagined what it would sound like if someone could’ve updated the score and give it more of a futuristic touch. The New Pollutants did it in 2005. Now, Midwest electronic artist Metavari, aka Nate Utesch, has re-scored it and to stunning effect.

Back on September 24, 2016, Utesch premiered his re-scoring of Metropolis to a live audience at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana as Lang’s historical “man vs machine” film played for all to see. It was an overwhelming experience, and one that took nearly a year and a half to come to fruition for Nate. For those that couldn’t see the performance, it seemed as if there would never be a chance to hear Metavari’s masterful work. But thanks to One Way Static Records, this re-score was released as a Record Store Day 2017 limited edition exclusive. 1,000 copies were released into the world. Did you get one? I did. It’s absolutely glorious.

Me being the simpleton that I am I’d imagine a re-scoring of Metropolis would be a bunch of drone-y synths, some crushing 808 beats, and maybe a touch of darkwave for good measure. But once again, me being a simpleton I would be wrong. At least in terms of what Nate Utesch had in mind. He definitely works the magic with the synthesizer, but there’s so much more going on here. “Epigram from Metropolis” is enough to wet the appetite. You know there’s someone truly gifted at the helm here, and someone that understands that first impressions are everything. It’s a big and swift opening that leads into “Worker City(Shift Change)”, which sounds like early 80s Tangerine Dream. Another woozy dose of synth, it sets the stage for what’s to come. Given though, that Metavari are quite adept at both headier synth sounds and pop-inflected electronic music “Club of Sons” and its percussive slant is not surprising. There’s a real Vangelis-meets-Giorgio Moroder vibe here. “Eternal Return, pt. 1” has some very effective vocal turns, which I think push the very human side of Metropolis.

And that’s just the first few minutes.

This is a truly remarkable feat. Utesch doesn’t take the typical route of the futuristic re-scoring(as apparently I would have done.) He makes some really creative twists and turns here. There’s plenty of the dense, Tangerine Dream moments. There’s the emotional wash of Vangelis strewn throughout, and pop elements that bring Metropolis even further into the future. “Moloch Rising”, “What Were You Doing in the Machine Halls”, “11811(The Dial l)”, “Tetrafugue(The Inventor’s Doors)” are all masterful pieces that truly work to push the “silent” story further. There are also some inspired bits of genius here as well, like a cover of Lindsey Buckingham’s “Trouble” done in an electro pop fashion. I think Lindsey would be impressed(as would Moloch.) “Furioso” and “Witchhunt” capture the spirit of “the new world”. The stuttering electronics and propulsive rhythms help tell a story all on their own.

I could mention literally every piece on this album and talk of their gorgeous warmth and prodigious construction in overwhelming platitudes, but we all have things to do. I’ll just say this, not a single moment is wasted throughout these 86 minutes. With the time constraints of vinyl, in order to fit this re-scoring on a double LP the run time was cut down. It’s all there, but pieces were shortened. You cinephiles with the 2002 restoration of the film will find you can’t sync this up to the film. Still, this album completely works on its own as an incredible electronic album. No syncing required.

Like some of his electronic music peers such as Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin, Tim Hecker, and Under The Skin music composer Mica Levi, Nate Utesch has a true vision to everything he does. Whether he’s creating far out electronic pop or heady sci fi film scores, he never does what you would expect him to do. He pushes it to another level. Metropolis(An Original Re-Score) is everything you’d hope it would be and not at all what you’d expect.